repair install

It's something I've had issues with before and am now having again....trying to get an XP install (in this case 64 edition) to recognize the disk and the installation, then giving the option to repair.

Of all the times I've tried I think I only had one copy that was worked dependably but was for 32bit.

I don't know if it's the install image, the sata driver, or nlite that is causing the issue.

Trying to get a different image atm to see if slipstreaming that one will work any better.
(I do have a valid license and the image I had should have been "good". Just got SP2 to add also....)

Any ideas? Something that worked for you?

(I thought I remembered being able to change the sata mode before to install win7 but now cannot locate it)

If you are in AHCI mode you will have trouble with XP unless you hit F6 at boot and have the right drivers on floppy. Or slipstream them into the install. Much easier to just change to IDE mode in BIOS. Assuming that's an option on your machine of course.

I've had very few issues with using an XP CD to run a repair install. The only time it doesn't like to work is in a case like you seem to have - the SATA controller isn't built into the image on the CD. An F6 floppy fixes that though.

If they have XP drivers for your machine they should have something about the drive controller listed. If the site is done well it will even say boot or F6 drivers. If they expect XP to have the drivers built in they won't have anything though.

lordoffire said:   back to the main issue...the installs seem to be completely missing the "searching for previous installations" step all together
Is the install disc you're using an OEM disc? Some of those skip over the repair install option.

If it isn't seeing a formatted partition it will skip that step...

Even with different versions it should check. It just shouldn't find anything and therefore not offer to repair at all, just skip right on to the next step.

It looks like Windows XP Professional x64 Edition did not have a general retail release. It was mainly an OEM release (likely due to the limited number of drivers available for x64 at the time).

When XP sees a different version (or at least what it thinks is different) that's what happens. It will let you install to an alternate folder so you don't lose the old one. But if you chose to install to the same folder it will write over the install not repair it.

Are you sure it's XP Pro x64, and not standard XP Pro? Or is it possibly Vista x64 or something? Maybe Server 2003?

lordoffire said:   right....it says you shouldn't try to install two OS's to one partition...obviously


but I checked the eula and the product thingy, I don't know what other version it could possibly beIt is possible that something in the install on the drive is missing or corrupt so the CD you are booting from simply isn't seeing it correctly.

current idea is to back up win7, delete the partition(s), repair XP again (it should become C:?), then restore win7 (should automatically be C:?) and use easybcd

nLite FAQ:
http://www.nliteos.com/faq.html#Q19

I dont have repair [R] option at install, why, and how can I get it back?
In the Unattended - General page, the Unattended Mode, set to
'Prompt repair'.

If the drive letters are messed up, then it sounds more likely that the repair did not actually work. Instead, you just installed another instance of Windows onto a different partition/drive.